Shadow (2001)Punters seeking out some low-budget ghost action could find many more diversions than expected in Shadow. Director Lo Kim-wah and his team seem happy to throw in a bit of everything into a misguided hour and a half of humour, teen romance, horror, twists and turns. The inspiration for the English title is hard to pin down but the origins of Shadow's odd goings-on can be traced to a hellish high school reunion. Boat boy and beach bum Lun (Stephen Fung) decides to find his high school love Sui-yuet (Bobo Chan), only to learn of her suicide. Her death is apparently all Lun's fault after school mishaps years earlier, and soon he and his mates are ordered to right wrongs... A ghost festival bookend holds together the main narrative, set a year earlier and weighed down with a range of genre stylings. An enjoyable retelling of failed high school romance and some inspired flourishes including ghost E-Mail (E being for Evil, of course) offer compelling viewing but the remainder is poorly executed. The suspense and horror simply don't work and the few laughs the film inspires may not always come where the filmmakers intended, most notably in a very convenient police investigation. The two leads are attractive, with Stephen Fung displaying a nice range and Bobo Chan's occasional stiff acting is excusable when she's playing a ghost. Side characters are less remarkable, though amusement may be had watching curious bystanders on the Wanchai and Kwun Tong streets. The beach at Big Wave Bay is a prominent location in the film with footage giving viewers outside Hong Kong a good chance to see some heavy pollution in the water. |
Credits: Directed by Lo Kim-wah |
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